Thanks everyone for the feedback and supporting this story. Sorry about the long wait, life with a combo of writers block doesn't help. Enjoy. :)
Arthur P. Spudinski was having the time of his life. Ohio wasn't as fast paced as New York but he enjoyed each moment there.
"Arthur tell me about your friends back home." Asked Spud's pompous aunt, Janis.
"It's just me and my bros Jake and Trixie. Only Trixie's a chick. But we're friends for life and friends for real. "
"Oh that's enthralling." Janis said half-heartedly. "Donnie's so popular I can't even remember all of his friends names."
The Spudinski family was at their outdoor dining hall enjoying a lovely dinner. Spud greedily devoured the gourmet mashed potatoes roasted chicken and steamed vegetables from his plate. Donnie stared at his messy haired cousin in disgust.
His two other cousins Jeremy and Ben snickered. Spud didn't seem to notice. Spud's father Arthur P. Spudinski the first was embarrassed by his son's lack of table etiquette. Da doo da do doo doooooo Spud heard his phone ringing.
"Uh, may I be excused? " With out waiting for an answer he escaped to the privacy of the guest room he was staying in. A text message flashed across the screen of his iphone.
WE R SO OVER, the text message read. It was from Stacy, Spud's cheer captain girl friend of four years.
"WAAAA!" Spud gasped in shock, where was all this coming from.
Spud's underarms began to sweat uncontrollably. His throat felt like he had swallowed a giant pill.
He speed dialed her phone only to receive no answer. How could she possible want to break things off with Spud.
Ten calls later she finally answered. "STACY!" Spud whimpered.
"We're over potato boy!" she yelled.
"But, but Stacy my beloved! What did I do wrong?"
"Why don't you go ask your cheap whore TRIXIE!" she slammed the phone, leaving Spud utterly confused.
"Trixie?" Spud asked himself bewildered. Some thing strange was going on back home and Spud would get to the bottom of it.
Rose had always had doubts the inner voice in the back of her mind. Was this wrong, should she be here? Her gloved hands were stained with the blood of a baby Cerberus. She tore through its flesh dissecting it for its heart.
"This is my birth right." She told herself.
Her masked accomplice aided her in finding the organ. He held open a sack allowing Rose to gently place the heart inside.
"Are you sure this is going to work?" The masked man questioned.
"Positive!" she breathed. "Once every things in place our plan will be set in motion."
"Then we'll both finally find what we been looking for."
The two hiked through the woods to retrieve the vehicle they had left behind.
"Same time tomorrow?" asked the masked figure.
"Same time tomorrow." Rose nodded in approval.
Starring up at his ceiling Jake tossed his baseball with his tail. This would be his pass time whenever he was deep thought.
The thought of Trixie and all she had gone through still weighed heavily on his heart. He wouldn't stop beating himself up about the situation, he felt beyond guilty.
He knew he had trouble keeping promises to her lately, but at least this soon to be broken promise was meant to defend her honor. Jake only needed the right moment and time, a place even.
A flash of blue light along with a faint vibration came from the direction of his dresser. Lazily he propelled his tail about the room to retrieve his cell phone.
"Yeah?" he answered.
"Jake, dude you gotta' help me!"
Alarmed Jake responded with "What's wrong!" He was already up in the air by one friend being in harms way he didn't need another.
"Stacy broke up with me!" Spud wailed.
Jake sighed in relief. "Sorry to hear that Spud."
"It's something about Trixie, just tell her it's a big misunderstanding."
"How do you know about Trixie?" Jake swallowed hard.
"What about Trixie , Stacy thinks I cheated with her!" Spud yelled frantically.
"Uhhhhh…" Jake uttered.
"Tell her it's not true!"
"Calm down Spud, I guess you haven't heard."
"Heard what?" Spud asked curiously, his anxiousness beginning to cease.
Jake winced at what he was about to say.
"Trixie was…she, there's a rumor going around that we both screwed her." Jake couldn't bring himself to tell spud the whole truth. Some how he felt he would be blamed. If Spud only knew. Jake's selfish actions were the cause of her terrible incident; at least he felt they were.
"OH…Ooooooookayyyyyyyy." Spud was taken by surprise. "Well tell my precious Stacy it's not true, and I love her too much to do that to her." He whined.
"Alright I will, don't worry Spud."
"Thanks Bro, I can always count on you. Did I ever tell you how much I love you, no homo."
Jake chuckled. "Love you too bro, no homo."
Jake heard a soft knock at his bedroom door. "Jake." His mother Susan called.
"Come in." I'll call you back later." He quickly hung up the phone.
"Are you ok sweetie, I noticed you haven't been eating much for the past few days."
"I'm ok Mom."
"Are you sure, you know you can always come to me or your father about anything."
Jake thought for a moment. "What would you do if something terrible happened to someone you care about."
"Well I'm not condoning violence in anyway, but I'd fight for them."
"Who is this friend, and what happened to them?"
"Just a friend of a friend, I thought I could give them some useful advice."
"I see." Susan raised her eyebrow at her teenaged son. She knew there was no truth in that statement.
"The best thing you could ever do for that person is to be by their side, helping them through what ever they are going through what ever pain they are experiencing."
"Dinner will be ready in 15." As she turned to leave her son called out to her.
"Mom."
"Yes Jake?"
"What if you broke a promise. And… that friend got hurt because of it? Could you forgive yourself?"
"I would do every thing in my power to make things right again." And make things right was exactly what he intended to do.
A little later the Long family gathered at their kitchen table to enjoy a meal together.
Ten-year-old Haley Long had been extremely excited to tell her parents the wonderful news she learned while at school.
" I'm so proud Haley Hoo!" Their father Jonathan expressed.
"That great sweetie." Susan grinned.
"Yes, I can not wait to perform for the president this summer!"
Haley had been one of very few chosen to participate at the summer musical gala in Washington D.C.
Jake just stared at his plate picking over his pesto stuffed pork chop.
"Jake aren't you going to congratulate your sister" He heard his mother ask.
"Huh, oh yeah that's cool" The 17 year old said nonchalantly.
Haley not so pleased by her brother's lack of enthusiasm, had to find a way to crawl under his skin. Rubbing in her accomplishments or how perfect she seemed wore off some time ago. The 10 year old had to think of something clever.
"Why so glum Jake? Did Rose dump you?" Jake's fork cracked a hole through his plate.
"I was beginning to wonder when her senses would come back to her." She said coldly.
Jake's eyes shot up at her, it was as if you could see an ember burning in them.
Before Jake could open his mouth to counter her remark both Susan and Jonathan intervened to discipline their daughter.
"Haley, that kind of behavior is unacceptable young lady." Jonathan put his foot down. With that she was dismissed to her room where she would spend time thinking about what she said.
Jake was all to pleased to see his parents were finally on his side for once.
"What's got you down son?" Jonathan asked.
Jake glanced at the floor as if he hadn't heard his father.
"You know, when I was your age I was in love with a girl I had know since grade school. In high school I finally had the courage to ask her to go steady. We dated a year or two until she decided she no longer wanted a relationship with me, I felt like my entire world had come to an end. But then luck shined down on me when I met your beautiful mother. It may seem bad now son but things will get better when the time is right."
Jake only shrugged.
"He's right you know." Susan agreed.
"Would this by any chance have something to do with your broken promise?" She asked, Jonathan wondered what his wife was talking about.
"Trixie." Jake stated. Knowing he could confide in such supportive parents he told them what was bothering him so much. Of course Rose's absence had him down too but he was beginning to accept that maybe she was ready to move on.
"Trixie got hurt because of my selfishness."
"Remember that night when I went to the Shaniqua concert" His parents nodded in sync.
"Well I didn't go, I wanted to spend some time with Rose. The only thing is she played me."
"What happened to Trixie?" Susan was eager to learn of what had become of the girl she had come to think of as her own child.
"Some body took advantage of her, and I wasn't there to protect her" He said, his head down in shame.
"You don't mean…?" Jonathan asked in shock, he felt bad for his son and Trixie as well.
"Yeah."
"Does Pam know" Susan spoke of Trixie's mother. "Has she pressed charges?"
"No and no."
"Who did this?" Jonathan wanted to know.
"To make it worse he's still runnin' around school like it's nothin'. That fuckin' bastard." The enraged Jake under heard his father's question.
"Jacob language!" Susan raised her voice, stern although she understood her son's frustration.
"Trixie won't come forward because she's scared, while I have to sit back and pretend like every thing's fine and dandy."
"She's in a sensitive place right now Jake she needs you to be the best friend you can be to her right now. She needs all the support she can get."
"Maybe you can talk some sense into her Mom, she won't listen to me."
Jonathan nodded in agreeance with Jake.
"Alright your father and I will both talk to her."
"Thanks Mom, Dad."
Haley's dark hair could be seen spying from the staircase. As soon as she and her brother made eye contact she hastily crawled back to her room. Clearly she had heard too much and this conversation wasn't meant for her ears.
Jake was ready for a night of much needed rest. He checked his jean pockets in search for stray dollars or change. Inside he felt a crumbled piece of paper.
'I forgot I found this in my locker earlier' he thought to himself. Curious he unraveled the note only to gasp at the reveal of the words he read.
The paper read I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE in magazine clippings. There was no clue or indication of who could have left the note. Only four humans besides his own father knew of his dragon heritage and only one was willing to share that information with the world.
"Rotwood!" Jake growled.
What would you guys like to see happen next in the story, what do you think will happen let me know I love hearing your opinions.